


I Can Only Go So Fast Right Now

by Hinganbachuru (Twilight_Joltik)



Category: Asagao Academy: Normal Boots Club
Genre: Carrying, Coming Out, Enemies to Friends, M/M, not quite romance, sprained ankle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-28
Updated: 2018-02-28
Packaged: 2019-03-24 23:56:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13822140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twilight_Joltik/pseuds/Hinganbachuru
Summary: Caddy sprains his ankle. Ian tries to help. Confused emotions ensue.





	I Can Only Go So Fast Right Now

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to blinkybab for inspiring me with her adorable Caddimoose art. Apologies for turning it into this.

Caddy, in the fifteen or so years he’d existed on this earth, had done a lot of stupid shit. He’d gotten convinced by Rosie that the bathroom at their house was haunted and taken three entire years to realize she’d made that up so he’d not take so long in the bath, for one, but somehow that was pretty tame for him. Considering the same year he’d figured out there wasn’t a ghost in his toilet, he’d also broken his arm while trying to climb up a tree just because Connor had told him not to, it was even pretty reasonable sounding.

 

Even still, in this moment, with his ears ringing and black dancing in front of his eyes and screams coming out of his mouth, he couldn’t help but think this was the dumbest. He’d somehow managed to harm himself by stepping off of a curb and slipping. How had he even done that? He knew it was bad by how he could barely even feel his foot, but whatever the fuck he’d done, it was kind of pathetic that he was sitting on the sidewalk and screaming his head off.

 

Enough people were around that he was sure one of them would notice him in due time and offer help or get someone, but he didn’t expect Ian Fucking Macleod to be his savior. Or to look so worried as he ran over. “What’s wrong, what happened?”, he asked frantically, not a note of his normal snark present.

 

“I tripped like a fucking idiot,” Caddy sniffled out. “And my foot or ankle or somethi-“

 

Before Caddy could even react, Ian was picking him up. “Here, let’s get you to the nurse,” Ian said softly and reassuringly. “You’ll be just fine.”

 

Even through so much pain, Caddy couldn’t stand that gentle pity in Ian’s voice. “D-d-don’t talk to me like that!”, he shouted. “Put me down! Moosey, put me the fuck down right now!”

 

He couldn’t see it but he knew Ian was rolling his eyes. “Not even a sprained ankle can stop you from trying to be all hardass, huh?”

 

“It hurts too bad to just be sprained!”, Caddy huffed as Ian most certainly did not put him down. “D-dammit, why can you carry me anyways? How the fuck did you get so strong with your scrawny noodle arms?”

 

“You’re not exactly the biggest person on the planet,” Ian remarked. “You’re just a tiny, angry floof with guns. Now relax, we’re almost to the nurse’s office and Creeps probably won’t appreciate you screaming your head off.”

 

With a sigh, Caddy fell quiet and just let Ian carry him. At very least, it was harder to focus on the pain since he was so focused on how crazy strong Ian was, being able to carry him like this. It was kind of… he wasn’t sure what the best word to describe it would be. Hot? No, why the fuck would he think hot?

 

Either way, Ian stayed with him as the nurse assessed his condition. Caddy wouldn’t admit it, but he’d held Ian’s hand through a lot of it. Not because it was Ian, of course! Just because the sensation of squeezing something was helpful and distracting.

 

Like Ian said, it turned out to be a sprain. Just needed elevation and ice and a splint and stuff. Annoying, but he’d get better. He was still amazed at how he’d managed to trip on the curb and do this to himself, but at least he wasn’t terribly worried. Besides, he’d get to miss class for a day or two, that wasn’t too bad!

 

What was bad, though, was how Ian wouldn’t stop fretting over him. He took it upon himself to carry Caddy back to his dorm and even insisted upon staying with him until his roommate was back from class! And while he was at it, he made sure he had ice and his foot was propped up and all that.

 

“Are you just trying to skip class?”, Caddy questioned as Ian finished putting pillows under his injured foot. “Is that why you’re being so nosy?”

 

“Well fuck, I didn’t know it was nosy to help your friend after he got badly injured,” Ian retorted. “Do you really feel the need to keep up your dumb tough guy act right now, or do you just, like, actually hate me or something?”

 

Somewhere behind the snark was bitter pain that Caddy couldn’t help but hear and frown at. “Ian… I…”

 

“I- I thought… I thought it was just like, a bit, you know?”, Ian muttered. “Just one of those things we play up just for shits and giggles. I never thought you’d actually hate me…”

 

“Ian, I don’t hate you,” Caddy assured him. “I… I just… I get scared, and sometimes I say really stupid shit to try and take back control of things. It wasn’t fair of me to take it out on you.”

 

With a little sigh, Ian turned away from him. “I… I hate having to feel like I have to put on a show around you… I wanna just talk, but you always jump into Mortal Rival mode and I don’t know how to say anything anymore. What’s wrong with just being friends, anyways? Why do you want to be my enemy?”

 

Caddy wasn’t entirely certain of the answer himself. But, he knew at least part of it. “Like I told you, I lash out when I’m scared. So, if I were confused by how I feel about someone, then I’d probably just… end up shouting.”

 

He felt a hand on his shoulder. “I get that. I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner. I thought maybe that was it, but I had no idea how to ask.” 

 

“I’m sorry too,” Caddy added. “You… you shouldn’t have had to feel uncomfortable around me. You’re a good friend and a good person and I… I’m just not used to feeling this way around someone.”

 

Ian chuckled a bit and sat down next to him. “I felt that too,” he mused. “Back in middle school. I got paired up with this guy for a group project. We were doing this short film project, and he was in front of the camera, and I just couldn’t stop staring at him while I was filming. I ended up freaking out around him so much that he was scared to talk to me, and it took me months to figure out I was weirding out so much because I had a crush on him.”

 

Caddy’s cheeks burned. He’d been avoiding the subject in his mind as much as he could, but right here in front of him, he couldn’t lie anymore. “That sounds about right, yeah.”

 

“I’m flattered I’d be the cause of someone’s Gay Crisis,” Ian half-laughed. “But, well, I can tell you’re not quite through it yet, and you’re probably not ready for… reciprocation.”

 

His throat started burning, and his stomach churned. Somehow this was the weirdest he’d felt all day, even after everything else. “You… reciprocate?”

 

“Yeah,” Ian said a bit too softly. “I… well, if you’re ever ready to talk about this, I’d be glad to.”

 

Caddy didn’t know how to respond. He didn’t know what to think. So he liked guys? So he liked Ian? So Ian liked him? “I- yeah, let’s… talk about this another time…” Caddy conceded. “I think we should figure out how to be friends before we try anything else. And, you know, maybe wait until I’m not terribly injured.”

 

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Ian agreed. “So, uh, friends?”

 

He offered his hand. Caddy shook it awkwardly, trying to reach over without moving his injured foot. “Friends.”


End file.
